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[Avionics Today 01-06-2014] United Airlines has expanded Gogo’s ATG-4 Wi-Fi offering to the first of its United Express regional aircraft. The airline will outfit more than 200 E175, E170 and CRJ700 regional jets with the Air-to-Ground (ATG) product. By mid-2015, United expects to...

[Avionics Today 01-06-2014] Elbit Systems has been awarded an approximately $100 million contract from the Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) to procure six new firefighting aircraft and operate the firefighting squadron. The contract, to be performed over an eight-year period...

F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. Photo: Wikipedia [Avionics Today 01-06-2014] Cubic Corp. has been awarded a series of contracts from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to produce and add enhancements to the Air Combat Training System (ACTS) of the F-35 fighter jet, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Unlike the wing-mounted pods used on fourth generation fighters, the F-35 version of the P5 Combat Training...

[Avionics Today 01-06-2015] 2015 is a huge year for the European Commission's attempt to unite its fragmented airspace and more efficiently manage more than 30,000 flights per day. More organized airways, satellite-based approaches and landings and data link messaging between pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs), are among the technological and procedural advancements Europe is trying to...

An Israeli Air Force F-16. Photo: Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald/U.S. Air Force [Avionics Today 1-05-2015] The Israeli Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has awarded Elbit Systems an approximately $90 million contract for the maintenance of the Israeli Air Force's...

[Avionics Today 1-05-2015] The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published the first of what will be regular updates on its progress in the General Aviation (GA) sector. The CAA has launched an initiative to make the GA sector “more proportionate and evidence-based,” which involves...

Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Mobile Tower System. Photo: Sierra Nevada Corporation Google Plus [Avionics Today 1-05-2015] Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has been awarded a $17 million follow-on Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract by the United States Army to manufacture Mobile Tower Systems (MOTS). The contract includes production of five AN/TSQ-135 MOTS, as well as engineering and...

AirAsia aircraft. Photo: Zennie Abraham (flickr) [Avionics Today 1-05-2015] Eight days into the search and rescue mission for AirAsia flight QZ8501, the search operation area has been expanded to the eastern portion of the Java Sea following the underwater current forecast. The search and rescue efforts led by The National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia continue as previously harsh...

[Avionics Today 01-05-2015] China's first domestically produced regional airliner, ARJ21-700, has achieved certification from the country's aviation authority after more than a decade of development. The 90-seat medium range regional jet was designed to compete with aircraft from manufacturers such as Embraer and Bombardier. However, it is highly unlikely that the ARJ21 will be competitive with either...

QZ8501 flight path and search area. Photo: Wikipedia [Avionics Today 12-31-2014] The National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) Republic of Indonesia has confirmed the recovery of seven remains from the debris of the QZ8501 crash. The remains were transported to the military base in Pangkalan Bun, Borneo, according to a statement released by...

[Avionics Today 12-31-2014] Gulfstream Aerospace has received approval from the FAA to install the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out (ADS-B Out) avionics system on the G150 aircraft. ADS-B Out installation for the G150 will include replacement of the aircraft’s existing transponders with DO-260B-compliant units...

[Avionics Today 12-31-2014] The Netherlands, Poland and Norway have decided to prepare negotiations with Airbus Defence & Space for the acquisition of a fleet of A330 MRTT multirole transport and air-to-air refueling aircraft. Bahrain International Airport. Photo: Bahrain International Airport The initiative...

[Avionics Today 12-31-2014] Canada has announced a ban on transporting lithium metal batteries as cargo on passenger flights in the country. This comes alongside a suite of amendments to Canada's Transport of Dangerous Goods Regulations (TDGR), including new labeling and Emergency Response Assistance Plan (ERAP) requirements for certain dangerous goods. In 2014, the International Civil...

Finnair aircraft on runway. Photo: RHL Images (Flickr) [Avionics Today 12-31-2014] Finnair has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Doric Asset Finance GmbH for the sale and leaseback of six ATR72...

[Avionics Today 12-31-14] Rohde & Schwarz has recently announced that its fully IP-based VCS-4G voice communications system has been delivered for integration into a third mobile tower in Indonesia. But this most recent development is just the tip of the iceberg for the scalable technology that aims to provide communication between Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) and pilots. This year alone, the company...

[Avionics Today 12-29-2014] A recently released report from the Canadian Government has opened the door to fighter jet competition. Adding to hot debate regarding the purchase of 65 F-35s by the Canadian government, the report finds that the F-35 Lighting Strike Fighter Jet may not have an advantage over other aircraft when it comes to flying missions most likely required by the country. F-35A rendering...

AirAsia Airbus A320-200 aircraft [Avionics Today 12-30-2014] AirAsia and the National Search and Rescue Agency Republic of Indonesia (BASARNAS) have confirmed reports that the debris found in the Java Sea early Tuesday is from flight QZ8501. The AirAsia flight lost contact with Jakarta Air Traffic Control (ATC) on the morning of Dec. 28 en route from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore, prompting an extensive...